The Birds Who Smile, a Batman fanfic by Raberba girl
SRD: Removing the mask scars / birds are now official
*oh, wait, earlier that day:
"Boys, today we are going to remove these mask scars." Both John and Peter shied away from his hand when he tried to indicate what he was talking about, so he pointed to his own face. "Around your eyes here, there are scars, and we have to take them off so that Dick and Jason will be safe. All right?"
*transition
*That afternoon?,* Bruce took the children to the Watchtower, the older boys to undergo a procedure and the youngest simply to keep them company. Jack's facial scarring was minimal and formed no particular shape, but it had been a high priority for a while to get John's and Peter's mask scars removed. It would be easiest and safest to use the same equipment the Bats always used to get rid of their most incriminating scars, particularly on their faces. Overuse had some unpleasant side effects and took a toll on the body, but the birds' mask scars were shallow and a single use of the equipment on a relatively small percentage of skin would do them no harm.
Bruce had not been at all prepared for any emotional harm. As soon as they stepped out of the Zeta Tube, John took one look at the view of space and started screaming.
"John!"
*oh, wait, i forgot that in my version, bwl had already killed the justice league before he captured john. hmm... if i go with the more canon version, john has a panic attack and no one, including the younger birds, has any idea why until he starts scream-twittering about people dying, bruce makes the kids translate, and finally realizes that bwl had made john help kill the justice league on the watchtower. but I don't want to mess with the awful prequel any more than i have to, so i'll probably just stick with the more low-key version even though it's less interesting to write... #writingisafunchallenge
a single use of the equipment on a relatively small percentage of skin would do them no harm.
Bruce, wearing a mask and nondescript black clothing, stepped out of the Zeta Tube with three little hands securely tucked into his and a bag of toys hanging over his shoulder. Peter, unhappy at the noise and brightness of the quick journey, dramatically flung himself out of Bruce's loosened grip, then crowed in surprise at the view from the window-wall of Earth floating in a sea of stars. The children made a beeline for the transparent wall and pressed against it, twittering curiously.
"We are in space right now," Bruce explained, stepping up beside them. "This is the Watchtower, where I come to work sometimes. That is Planet Earth. The Justice League works hard to keep it safe."
He waited until the children had had their fill of staring and then exploring a bit. He got them set up with the toys in what was technically a cell in the brig, though the little room was so clean and futuristic that the boys thankfully didn't seem to recognize it as such, especially since the holograms in the walls were already set up with a peaceful view of a flowery mountain meadow. None of the children noticed the gentle whoosh of the door closing them in. They continued to act out an elaborate story with their action figures and animals as the air coming into the cell started being laced with carefully measured gas.
They didn't seem to register anything odd when they got sleepy, either. The older boys dragged blankets into a corner to make a nest, and Peter offered to stand watch as the other two curled around him. He gazed sleepily at the hologram meadow for a while, then eventually leaned back against the wall.
When all three boys were fast asleep, Bruce opened the cell again. He gently loaded them into a blanket-filled supply transport and moved them up to the medical bay.
The procedures themselves were uneventful. First John and then Peter were laid in the machine and strapped down so they wouldn't move in their sleep. When Bruce noticed them frowning, perhaps subconscious sensing the restraints, he asked J'onn to soothe their dreams, and each boy's face soon smoothed out again.
Bruce, well-practiced by now, stared at the main screen, moving his hand to manipulate the specialized lasers. Collagen was slowly repaired, discoloration was altered to match its surroundings. Bruce applied the medication afterward that would protect the sensitive new skin, bandaged the boys' faces, and carried them back to the transporter nest.
Once Peter was finished, Bruce stepped back and exhaled in relief. He knew how traumatic even such a simple procedure would probably be for his poor birds, so he was glad they had remained unconscious the whole time. He moved them into a dimly lit room with soft music playing and left them to awaken when they were ready.
*when they wake up, they really don't like the bandages because it reminds them of the domino masks, but grudgingly stop picking at them when Jack, not wanting to be left out, asks for facial bandages, too
xXx
*i don't know how to write it in real time, but the kids are legal people now. they are officially classified as permanent refugees from another planet or universe (kori falls into this category, for example) and also as clones / au counterparts / etc. of dick, jason, & tim (kon would fall into this category if he didn't have a secret identity). since they are orphaned minors and their prime beings are adults, the older boys are, by default, the sons of their prime beings. tim, as an emancipated minor, is an unprecedented case, and also falls into the small age range of teenagers who can choose whether their counterparts will be designated their sibling or their child. tim chooses to make jack his brother instead of his son.
xXx
Now that the children had finally been more-or-less convinced that Bruce was not their abuser, he dared to bring in social services directly. The delay might have ordinarily worked against him, but CPS had been just as overwhelmed by the Batpocalypse as the rest of the city had, and had been slower to recover. The birds, who were safe and cared-for, had been low on the priority list for as long as Bruce wanted them to be; there was a city full of displaced children who'd needed more urgent help.
Finally, however, an appointment was made and a social worker came out to the manor. *gaaahhh, this is hard to write; Bruce goes over what to say and what not to say with the kids and researches cole, who's fresh out of college. cole arrives and alfred greets him at the door, kids are playing in the living room and bruce is anxious
"Wow, Mr. Wayne, hi!" Cole said, shaking his hand.
"Hello."
"Wow, this house is amazing! You could fit a hundred kids in here," the man laughed.
"Am I allowed a hundred?" Bruce tried to joke, and Cole burst into more laughter.
"All right, cool, so where're the kiddos?"
"They're in the living room, this way."
Bruce was horrified to walk in and find John buck naked, the three boys playing with cars and action figures as if nothing was amiss. "JOHN!"
That was a mistake as well. John flinched violently and Peter fled to the closest hiding spot.
"No Daddy don't be mad, don't be mad!" Jack pleaded with both his voice and his hands as he backed away.
Bruce took a deep breath, trying to calm down as he grabbed John's clothes from the floor where they'd been discarded (thank God they were still in the room, at least, indicating that the boy had been wearing them recently). "I'm not angry. I'm not angry, it's all right; Johnny, let's get you dressed..."
John was whimpering and shaking, staring at Bruce's face as he submitted to being dressed. "Mmma'dd," he whispered.
"No. No, chum, I'm not mad. I just need you to keep your clothes on, all right? Look, we have a visitor. This is Mr. Sullivan, the one I told you about."
To his relief, Cole didn't look disapproving of Bruce's parenting fail. He stooped to shake John's hand and cooed, "Hi, Johnny, my name is Cole! What was wrong with your clothes, buddy? Were they itchy?"
John stared at him.
"Jjohnny ssay Daddy ppu't cc'oes on, bu't Bbad Llaugh Man ffow dem awway!" Jack announced loudly. He pointed. "Is Daddy, ssee?"
"Awwww, aren't you a cutie! You guys wouldn't hurt a fly, would you; and they told me you ate people!" Cole laughed, as if the very idea was ridiculous. Bruce was glad the man didn't understand when Peter signed, "No more eat people" from where he was peeking around the couch.
"You can probably already tell," Bruce said, "but this is John, the oldest, and the youngest is Jack. That's Peter over there. Peter, please come out here and say hello to Mr. Sullivan."
"You are not angry?"
"No, I'm not."
"Yell!"
"I yelled because I was surprised and dismayed, not angry. But John is wearing clothes now, so everything is all right. You're safe, Peter."
Peter came to a decision and scampered out, shyly circling around Cole and coming to a stop behind Jack.
"Hi, Peter! Wooww, you're cute, too!"
Peter tilted his head in confusion, then pointed to Jack. "He is cute."
"All of you are cute," Bruce said.
"Yup, that's right!" Cole agreed. "You guys are my very first kiddos ever! I'm so happy to meet you!"
Bruce raised an eyebrow at the frank admission of inexperience. It worked in his favor here, but Cole really was green if he hadn't realized that would be an unwise comment. "Recent hire?" he asked, already knowing the answer but having to play dumb.
"Yup! I'd applied for this job before the apocalypse, didn't get it at first but now they need more people. I just finished training this morning, in fact!"
"I see," Bruce said politely, trying to hide a smile.
*cole talks to the kids and the rest of the family, looks over the house, and cheerfully makes bruce the kids' temporary guardian. now bruce needs to start scheduling stuff and looking into schools
*here's how it all eventually shakes out: dick retains his parental rights, but names bruce as john's guardian and leaves the brunt of the childrearing to him. jason refused to give bruce guardianship, but he does informally let bruce raise peter, and bruce is legally allowed to make medical and educational decisions for peter. bruce formally adopts jack, whose legal name is now Jack Thomas Drake-Wayne.
xXx
Bruce must have fallen asleep *while doing WE work on his laptop as the kids play in the living room*, because he started awake at Alfred's voice exclaiming sharply, "Master John!"
He found the butler and the boy in a standoff, Alfred on one side of the couch holding a pair of pants, John naked on the other side of the couch, eyes and body clearly indicating that he'd keep the couch between them no matter which direction Alfred tried. Peter and Jack were watching solemnly.
"John, what are you doing?" Bruce said in exasperation, getting up. He approached with the intention of helping Alfred corner his quarry, but John backed away, giving up his tactical advantage. He watched Bruce intently and came up against the wall.
"John," Bruce said cautiously, holding the shirt he'd scooped up on the way. "You can be naked in your own bedroom or in any bathroom, but when you're in this part of the house, you need to wear clothes." John did not speak or move. Bruce, feeling helpless, made a half-hearted gesture with the shirt in John's direction, and was surprised when the boy cooperatively raised his arms. Once the shirt was on, Bruce reached back and Alfred set the rest of the outfit into his hand. He knelt, and John raised one foot, then the other, lightly resting his hands on Bruce to steady himself as Bruce struggled to get the rest of his clothes on.
Now dressed again, John shrank back against the wall, still staring at Bruce.
"All right. Keep your clothes on when you're out here, John."
"..."
"Do you understand?"
"Yysss."
"All right. Do you want to go outside and play?"
"Yes!"
"All right, let's go."
*some night in the cave
Bruce frowned when he heard Jason yelling, "Come back here and put your pants on, you little exhibitionist!" He turned away from the Batcomputer and found Jason chasing around John, who was naked again.
Bruce sighed and got up. "Let me try," he said, holding out his hand for the clothes.
"Does he do this often?" Jason complained, handing them over.
"He didn't used to, but it's started being a problem recently."
He approached, and John shrank away but didn't run. Bruce held out the clothes. "Get dressed, John. I told you that you need to wear clothes when you're outside your room."
John looked at the clothes, then at Bruce. He took a large step back in clear refusal.
Bruce tensed in anticipation of a fight that could so easily go very wrong. He picked the closest garment, which happened to be the shirt, and ordered in his Batman voice, "Raise your arms." He was already wondering what in the world he would do when John inevitably disobeyed, but to his surprise, John lifted his arms, not even looking frightened. Just as before, the child submitted willingly to being dressed.
"You don't want to dress yourself," Bruce realized slowly. "You don't want other people to dress you. You want to be dressed by me."
John wandered off, but Bruce stared after him for a while, thinking.
*except now the following scene, which I wrote a long time ago, doesn't work as well...
*over the next day or so, john keeps randomly pulling all his clothes off; adults will get busy for just a few minutes, then turn back and bam, naked nine-year-old. (though wouldn't they start dressing him in, like, one-piece outfits that'd be harder for him to take off?) john doesn't seem to be bothered at all, readily submits to being re-dressed by bruce, but avoids anyone else who tries to put his clothes on; stays silent when people are like "Why?"
John wouldn't let go of him, so he backed up until he could sit down on the couch. John curled up in his lap and snuggled even more closely into him.
"John, I need you to explain to me what's going on, why you keep doing this."
"Nno. Hhhug."
"I'll keep holding you, don't worry. Let go for just a minute so you can talk to me."
John simply tucked his face even more firmly into Bruce's neck and tightened his arms.
Bruce sighed and held him for a long time, until John's hug finally started to loosen. "John. Don't fall asleep. I need to ask you some questions."
John gazed up at him through half-lidded eyes.
"Why do you keep doing this? Why do you keep undressing in the middle of the house, for no reason? You didn't used to do this before."
"You put clothes on me, I feel safe."
"By putting your-?" Bruce paused. "Do you...keep taking all your clothes off so that I'll put them back on you?"
"Yes."
Bruce swallowed. "...Tell me what he did to you, John."
"No. It hurts you."
Which was true, but he couldn't let John just keep repressing it, or whatever was happening by avoiding the topic. "You need to talk about it, so I will listen to anything you say."
"No. I talk to family, not you. It hurts you."
Bruce closed his eyes and rested his face against John's hair for a moment. "John...I hope you know how much I love you." He sensed John signing, so he raised his head again.
"He said he loved me, too, but I know he lied because he hurt me." Tears stung Bruce's eyes, but John wasn't finished. "But you say you love me, I know it's true, because you are nice. I like nice you."
Bruce held his boy tightly. He wished so much that he could protect John from his own past, but that wasn't possible. What he could protect his son from was the future, and he intended to keep doing that with everything in his power.
xXx